Snap fastener



Sept. 23, 1941. v Y 1 F. G. PURINTON SNAP- FASTENER Filed March 17, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Barc 4 Patented Sept. 23, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SNAP FASTENER Forrest G. Purinton, Waterbury,.0onn., as'signor to The Patent/Button Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application March 17, 1941, Serial No. 383,813

(c1. afi-'208) 6 Claims.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in snap fasteners, and particularly to the socket element thereof.

One of the objects of the present invention is to produce anew and improved socket member that is arranged to protect the resilient fingers when the garment with the fasteners thereon is passed through the wringer or is being ironed.

A further object of the invention is to produce a socket wherein the prongs that pass through the garment are on the socket member rather than on the ring member and are protected b guards until attached to the garment.

As is Well known, these snap fasteners are attached (permanently) in a rapid manner by automatic machines,4 and another object, therefrom interfering and snarling with the prongs of adjacent elements when they are going through the manufacturing operations in bulk, such operations 'being the cleaning, plating, and tumbling to remove the burrs. Furthermore, these guards will facilitate the attaching operation in that the sockets Will not become tangled with each other in the vhopper Vand the flow of these sockets through the slots in the hopper to the raceway and attaching station will be more uniform.

Still another object of the invention is to preferablyrprovide the socket of thel snap fastener with a multiplicity of hills or depressions (depending from which face the socket is viewed), the bottoms of these depressions extendingbelow the plane of the spring fingers to thus protect the same when the socket is passing through a wringer. At the same time, the metal between the depressions may be cut Vto provide the guards that will prevent the prongs of the socket member from tangling with each other before the socket member is attached to the garment. These guards, however, will be pushed back out of the way during the attaching operation.

With these and other objects in-view, the invention consists in certain new and novel arrangements and combination of par-ts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

`Referring now to'the drawings showing a preferred embodiment,

Fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional viewof the fasmale member, however, being separated from'the socket;

Fig. 2 is a similar sectional view but members fastened together;

Fig. 3 is an enlargedtop view of `the pronged socket element;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged bottom view of the same;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the locking ring element;

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan View of the same element;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view thereof, the dotted lines showing the plastic as molded therein; and

Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing sections of the locking ring, the garment, and the socket member before assembly.

Referring now for the moment to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a male element or stud I having a ring 2, which stud is secured to part of a garment 3. It will be understood that this stud or male member per se does not form a part of the present invention, as my improved socket may equally as well be used with any other similar male element or stud.

Y The inventionresides in the formation and construction of the socket element. 'Ihis element may be seen more in detail in FigsQB to,6, inclusive.

Referring for the moment, therefore, to Figs. 3 to 6, there will be seen my improved socket construction, which consists in the arrangement of a small plate 4 circular in outline and, of course, of relatively thin metal of the desired resiliency. These snap fasteners are generally made of brass' and may then be nickeled or otherwise nished to provide a pleasing appearance.

The plate 4 is preferably provided with siX upstanding triangularly-shaped prongs 5 arranged around the periphery, as may be seen in the several views.

There is a central aperture, as at 6, as this plate (socket) with its spring fingers, to be shortly mentioned, is snapped over the stud or male member l, heretofore-mentioned, as is the ordinary practice.

lwith the Glancing for the moment at Figs.`5 and 6, to f understand the formation of this plate and reading from the right-hand side of thefiguresjit will be seen that the plate 4 extends in a horizontal plane at its periphery, as at 1, and then tener as attached to the garment, the` stud or curves slightly upwardly, as at 3,v to the plane 9,

Where it is then bent downwardly, forming the vertical wall IIJ. The metal is then bent inwardly to form a bead II, thus becoming a part of the spring lingers, which are to grip the stud I when the snap fastener is snapped into place.

The vertical wall lil is then radially slotted around its periphery, as at I2, as may be seen in Figs. 3, 4, and 6, sothat the desired resiliency is providedfor the resultant segments or springgripping fingers I3.

Beyond the central vertical wall IU are formed the guards I4, which radiate from the center of the socket and are disposed in radial lines with the respective prongs 5 arranged aroundlthe periphery of the plate 4. These guards Iare bent upwardly (Figs. 5 and 6) from their normal pla-ne and extend outwardly to but a short distance from the apices of said triangular peripheral prongs 5, that is, they extend in this upward guarding position until the prongs are forced through the garment and into their locking ring, as willshortly be mentioned. A

Spaced directly behind' theslots I2, as may be clearly seen in Figs. 3 'and 4, are'the'hills-I 5,' which hills are likewise spaced midwayA the guards I4. The tops of these hills I5 extend (Fig.V 4) ina plane slightly above the plane of the spring lingers I3, so that when the garment is iron'ed the subject-matter of a separate application, there may be seen in Fig. 9 a metal ring I6 with its overhanging wall I'I and the underlying rim I8 that terminates short of the inner periphery of the wall I1. As will also be noticed, there is a space I9 provided between the rim I8 and the overhangin'g wall I1, so that the metal prongs 5 which, as will be mentioned, are distributed around the periphery of the socket plate may be driven through the cloth (Figs. 1, 2, and 10) to impinge on the under surface of the overhanging wall I1 and be forced into the heretoforementionedspace I9 underlying the said overhanging wall. The ring I6 also preferably has an inner bead`2| about its top surface so that the latter may be embedded in a plastic head 22, as may be A readily seen in Fig. 10.

or put through a wringer or drier', these hills-will l protect the spring fingers I3#r from being damaged.

By providing the hills rather than by forming a raised ring slightly back from the fingers to protect the spring fingers, as is the conventional arrangement, sufficient metal is left between the hills to provide material stockl for the guards I4, as heretofore-mentioned.

Thus, by providing the hills above-mentioned, not only are the spring ngers well protected from damage in ironing but space in the plate central aperture of an adjoining socket, thus o making the sockets relatively hard to plate or tumble or clean. However, by providing the guards I4, as shown, the latter will prevent' these sharply pointed prongs from interlocking or tangling with other sockets.

Again, inasmuch as these sockets are to be thrown into a hopper or cup o f an attaching machine (not shown) and there tumbled until they register with and pass through the radial slots in said hopper and down a feed chute to an attaching station, unless the prongs are guarded, the sockets in bulk are likely to interlock (tangle) and not become disengaged and so be continuously tumbled and notl pass out of the radial slots in the cup of the hopper, as only one socket may pass out at a time when in registry with its slot.

However, by providing these guards, there is far less likelihood of the sockets in the hopper becoming interlocked and when tumbled will more quickly register with the sicts in the hopper to then pass down the chu-te tothe attaching station.

Referring now to the' means for clamping or `locking the socket to its garment, which forms This plastic head 22 may slightly overlie the inner periphery, as at 23, of the ring I6 and will also extend downwardly, as at 24, within the side walls of the ring, so that the cloth or material 20. when clamped between the 'ring and the' socket element, may follow 'the inner contour of this plastic head, as may be seen in Figs. 1 and 2. By embedding the bead 2l well' within the plastic head Z2, even should the plastic shrink, there is no possibility of itsbecoming disengaged from its ring.' Y

In Fig. lO, I have, for purposes of illustration, shown the socket in a position below the garment and the ring above the garment. It will be understood that the prongs 5 will, when the ring and socket member are forced together, pass through the garment, impinge on the under surface of the overhanging wall IT, and be directed into the heretofore-mentioned receptive space |"9 to thus securely clamp the socket and the ring to the garment, as shown in Fig. 1. `At the same time, the guards I4 which have served their purpose, to wit, prevented the sockets, when in bulk, from becoming tangled, etc., will be pressed downwardly against the cloth and out of the way, so that the prongs 5 may be well gripped within .v their ring, as clearly shown in Figs. land 2'.

The cloth 20 will be tightly gripped between the ring and the socket element, and after vonce attached, will always remain in its attached position. The 'socket member may be quickly snapped over the stud I after the latter has been attached or may be easily unfastened, similar to any other snap fastener.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have yprovided a new, novel,A and efficient form of snap fastener having the usual inner spring fingers and also having portions of the metal -of the plate yextending in a plane below that of the fingers (Fig. l) to protect the same when the garment is being ironed. I have further provided the radially Vextending guards., which greatly facilitates the manufacturing operations of the fastener and also facilitates the attaching operations, as the prongs are not as likely to tangle with other sockkets when the said sockets are being tumbled before being passed from the hopper to an attaching station. v

I have also provided a ring to receive the prongs of the socket and to tightly clamp the socket to its garment.

Byk providing the hills or depressions (depending on from which face the socket is viewed), rather than providing a continuous wall, suicient metal is left to form the guards, which serve theiruseful purpose before the socket is attached and which guards will also tightly bear against the cloth after the socket is attached, attaching here meaning the permanent attaching rather than the snapping of the socket on its male member.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a snap fastener, a socket element including a plate circular in outline and provided with a plurality of prongs extending at right angles to the plate and spaced about the periphery, the plate provided with a central aperture and the Walls of the aperture arranged to form spring' fingers and adapted to lock over the stud of a male element of the snap fastener, a plurality of depressions also spaced around the central aperture and extending in a plane below that of the spring ingers to thereby protect the same, a plurality of guards formed integral with said plate and extending upwardly and toward the apices of the said prongs, and said lingers adapted to be forced downwardly with relation to the prongs and out of the way when the snap fastener is permanently secured to its garment.

2. In a snap fastener, a socket element including a plate circular in outline provided with a plurality of attaching prongs extending at right angles to the plate and spaced about the periphery, the plate provided with a central aperture and the Walls of the aperture being slotted to form spring iingers which are adapted to lock over the stud of a male element of the snap fastener, means formed in the metal behind the forward edges of said lingers that extend in a plane below that of the forward edges of said spring fingers to protect the same, integral guards interspaced between said means and extending toward the apices of said prongs and raised from the normal plane of said plate, the said guards adapted to be forced back into the normal plane of said plate when the socket element is being permanently attached to its garment.

3. In a snap fastener, a socket element including a plate circular in outline and provided with a plurality of prongs extending at right angles to the body of the plate and said prongs spaced about the periphery of the plate, the plate provided with a central aperture and the walls about the aperture extenting also substantially at right angles to the body of the plate and having a horizontally extending inner peripheral bead, the said walls being radially divided to form spring ngers about the aperture and said spring fingers adapted to snap over the stud of the male member of the snap fastener, a plurality of radially extending guards cut in the body of the plate and their outer ends extending upwardly toward the apices of said prongs, a portion of the metal between each of the said guards extending in a plane below the horizontal plane of the said bead when the socket is attached to thereby protect the said spring iingers, and the guards adapted to be forced back substantially in the plane of the body of the socket when the socket member is being firmly attached to its garment.

4. A socket member for a snap fastener including a plate having a central aperture and a plurality of spring fingers forming the peripheral wall about said aperture, a plurality of vertically extending prongs spaced about the periphery of the plate, a plurality of guards extending radially from the central aperture and bent upwardly from the normal body of the plate and extending toward the apices of the respective prongs, a plurality of indentations formed in the plate and disposed between the respective guards and lying in a plane lower than the lower ends of the spring fingers when the socket is in an attached condition, a circular ring to receive and hold the said prongs, and the said guards being bent toward the bases of said prongs when the said socket member of the snap fastener is attached to its garment.

5. In a socket member including a plate having a central aperture, spring fingers defining the walls about the -central aperture, prongs disposed about the outer periphery of the plate and extending at an angle to the body of the plate, metal guards struck up from the body of the plate to protect the prongs and metal depressions formed in the plate between said guards vto protect the said spring ingers, and a ring element adapted to receive the said prongs when the socket is attached and the guards adapted to be forced downwardly toward the-bases of the prongs during the said attaching operation. n

6. In a snap fastener, a socket member including a plate having a central aperture, spring fingers defining the walls about the central aperture, prongs disposed about the outer periphery of the plate and extending at an angle thereto, metal guards struck up from the body of the plate and extending toward said prongs to prevent the prongs from tangling with other socket members when the said socket members are in a hopper, a ring element adapted to receive the said prongs when the socket is attached, and the guards adapted to be forced downwardly toward the bases of the prongs during the said attaching operation.

FORREST G. PURINTON. 

